Maryland House Passes Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Bill. The House of Delegates approved House Bill 360 Tuesday. The bill would require the state to prove that the property's owner knew it was used or intended for a drug crime, switching the traditional burden of proof in asset forfeiture. It would also require police to report seizures and bar them from using the federal asset forfeiture program to get around state law, except in federal cases. The bill now heads to the Senate. >

Opiate Maintenance

Kentucky Sued Over Drug Treatment Practices. A nurse with an opiate addiction whose bond bars her from using opiate maintenance medications has sued the state, saying its practice of forbidding addicts from using drugs such as methadone or suboxone while they are under the supervision of the criminal justice system violates the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Constitution's equal protection clause.

International

Peru Ponders a Return to Shooting Down Suspected Drug Planes. The government of President Ollanta Humala said Tuesday it is considering backing a bill that would lift a 14-year-old ban on shooting down suspected drug planes. That ban was enacted after a Peruvian jet fighter blew a civilian plane out of the sky, killing American missionary Roni Bowers and her infant child. The bill sponsored by an opposition member passed the defense commission on Monday.

Ecstasy, Meth, Other Drugs Are Legal in Ireland Today, But Not Tomorrow. The Irish court of appeal threw the country into a dizzy Tuesday when it threw out portions of the Misuse of Drugs Act, effectively legalizing the possession of drugs whose scheduling had not included consultations with parliament. But the parliament is moving emergency legislation which is expected to pass today and recriminalize their possession by tomorrow.

Richard Branson Joins Call for Clemency for Australians to Be Executed in Indonesia. With execution looming for two Australian drug smugglers in Indonesia, British entrepreneur Richard Branson has joined the call for President Joko Widodo to spare them. Indonesia would be better off treating drugs as a health issue, he said in a letter. "Treating drugs as a health issue, not as a criminal issue, it actually helps lower the number of drug deaths," he said. "It limits the spread of infectious diseases like HIV and AIDS, or hepatitis C, and it reduces drug-related crime. And it allows people who struggle with addiction to become useful members of society again."